Post-Game Report: T-Men at Bellies June 19, 2025

If familiarity breeds contempt, then Saturday night in Nanaimo could get spicy.

That’s when the Salmonbellies will wrap up their season series with the Timbermen, completing a three-game set that’s seen more meetings between the teams than any other matchup this year. Saturday’s 5 p.m. clash at Frank Crane Arena marks the back half of a home-and-home and will mean that one-third of New West’s first nine games were played against Nanaimo.

So far, the season series has tilted in the Bellies’ favour — and Thursday night at Queen’s Park was no exception. It took just six seconds for New Westminster to open the scoring, as faceoff ace Tyrell Hamer-Jackson scooped up the ball and went straight to the net to break the ice.

What followed was an eight-minute scoring drought, broken by a surge from Nanaimo. The Timbermen tallied three straight goals in four minutes — two of them from former Salmonbellie Luke Pilcher — to take a 3-1 lead at the 12:14 mark.

Despite missing league-leading scorer Mitch Jones, the Salmonbellies showed off their depth. Just 32 seconds after Nanaimo’s third goal, Haiden Dickson responded, and he didn’t stop. He scored three times in the next four minutes, sandwiched around a goal from right-hander Austin Ducommun, his first of the season. Noah Armitage capped the first-period scoring with his second of the year, giving New West a 6–3 lead after 20 minutes, a lead powered by 24 shots fired at Nanaimo goaltender Devlin Shanahan.

The Salmonbellies kept their foot on the gas in the second period. They scored three more, including one from Jacob Ruest, who entered this season designated as a defensive stalwart, but who has proven he still belongs on offence too. Tyler Pace added another, then Brandon Goodwin made it 9–3 at the 12-minute mark, finishing a great feed from Zac Masson right after a penalty kill.

Only one more goal would be scored in the second, and it came from Nanaimo’s Ryan Sheridan before the horn sounded.

The Timbermen struck first in the third, scoring the game’s only powerplay goal as Luke Pilcher completed his hat trick while Preston Lupul sat in the box. That narrowed it to 9–5 New West.

For the next 10 minutes, the scoreboard stayed in sleep mode, but the action didn’t. It was a stretch of fast-paced, end-to-end lacrosse, highlighted by strong goaltending from both Shanahan and Justin Geddie. Nanaimo would eventually score twice more — one from Jordan Neary (assisted by Shanahan), and a second from Sheridan, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the early deficit. The Bellies held on for a solid win.

New West’s usually dangerous power play didn’t get much work. They had just two chances compared to Nanaimo’s four. The only special teams goal on the night belonged to the Timbermen.

Haiden Dickson is heating up again, perhaps even hotter than his rookie season. His hat trick puts him atop the WLA scoring chart with 19 goals in seven games. He earned First Star honours and was named the B&B Contracting Beast of the Game for the second time this season. The man is a horse!

Luke Pilcher was named Second Star, thanks to his three goals and two assists, while New West’s Zac Masson earned the Third Star. While his two assists stood out, it was his strong defensive play that earned him well-deserved recognition. Defensive players are often overlooked, but Masson has been a steady and crucial presence for the Salmonbellies all season.

Now, the Bellies head to Nanaimo with a perfect 7–0 record. But the Timbermen aren’t a team that quits. The concrete floor of Frank Crane Arena and the early game time could be X-factors. If you want to follow the action, don’t forget you can catch every game live on WLA TV.